Sourdough Scones

I’ve been lovingly caring for the sourdough starter I made a month or so ago. I mastered the art of general bread making – with a little help from Mr Hollywood – about a year ago (it was a happy day for me when my dough addicted husband declared my bread delicious. I’d had far too many ‘hmmm it’s okaaaay’ comments!).
So I thought I’d up my game and try some artisan bread.
After baking a delicious looking loaf (that took around 19 hours from start to finish), I had to shamefacedly admit that I don’t like sourdough bread (blush).
How disappointing! I’d had it a few times when we were on holiday in California, and I don’t think I really liked it then, but I wanted to think I was a bit of a foodie, and therefore it was the law that I liked sourdough bread. Oh well. As with olives, I’ll keep trying in the vain hope that I can eventually look sophisticated like the rest of you sourdough/olive eating folk.
After a second failed attempt with Mr Hollywood’s almond and honey sourdough, I admitted defeat with the breads and decided to give my starter one last chance in a cake (can you call a scone a cake?) before bringing an end to it’s wasted life.

And guess what? Success! Tasty, fluffy and bloomin lovely with a thick smear of salty butter and a good old English brew!

Recipe for tasty, fluffy sourdough scones with sultanas and cranberries. Perfect with a lovely cup of tea.

Author: Nicky @ Kitchensanctuary.com

Recipe type: Cakes

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

•400g self raising flour

•100g cold butter, cut into small cubes

•1/4 tsp salt

•100g golden caster sugar

•75g sultanas

•40g dried cranberries (you can swap the sultanas and cranberries for other dried fruit like raisins/cherries etc if you like)

•250g sourdough starter

•70ml whole milk (semi skimmed will do if you haven't got whole)

•2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200c and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Place the flour, salt and butter in a large bowl and rub together with your fingertips until most of the butter lumps have gone. Add the sugar and dried fruit and give it a quick mix.

In a separate bowl, mix the starter, milk and vanilla extract. Put in the microwave on high for about 45 seconds. Pour ¾ of the starter mixture into the flour mixture and use a round ended knife to work the mixture together. Add more of the starter mixture and work in gently until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. Don't overwork, or you'll get tough scones.

Tip out the dough onto a floured surface and flatten it out with your hands so that it's about 3cm thick. Use a round cutter dipped in flour (to prevent it sticking) and cut out your scones. Make sure you just press the cutter down rather than twist it - otherwise you'll get scones that rise a bit wonky. Gather the leftover dough, gently rework and cut out the rest of the scones until all the dough is used.

Place on the prepared baking tray, brush with a little milk and place in the oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the oven, leave to cool and serve sliced in half with butter.